Play It Again - A Bethyl short story
by snowstormjonerys
Summary: It's just another Saturday night at the Wash-N-Fold but when Daryl Dixon sees a pretty blonde swinging her legs over the tailgate of her pickup, it's anything but.


Play It Again

 **This song prompt was given to me by my great friend jazznsmoke last summer and it was written back then. Play it Again by Luke Bryan. I've revised it and this is the re-release with the edit I made to go with it. Hope you enjoy!**

 _She was sittin' all alone over on the tailgate_ _  
_ _Tan legs swingin' by a Georgia plate_ _  
_ _I was lookin' for her boyfriend_ _  
_ _Thinkin', no way she ain't got one_ _  
_ _Soon as I sat down I was fallin' in love_ _  
_ _Tryin' to pour a little sugar in her Dixie cup_ _  
_ _Talkin' over the speakers in the back of that truck_ _  
_ _She jumped up and cut me off_

 _She was like, oh my God, this is my song_ _  
_ _I've been listenin' to the radio all night long_ _  
_ _Sittin' 'round waitin' for it to come on and here it is_ _  
_ _She was like, come here boy, I wanna dance_ _  
_ _'Fore I said a word, she was takin' my hand_ _  
_ _Spinnin' me around 'til it faded out_ _  
_ _And she gave me a kiss_ _  
_ _And she said, play it again, play it again, play it again_ _  
_ _And I said, play it again, play it again, play it again_

Daryl begrudgingly pulled the wet clothes from the washer and transferred them over to the drier at the Wash-N-Fold. He had been dreading coming ever since he woke up that morning, but figured he had nothing better to do on a Saturday night than do his laundry and thought he may as well get it over with. It was just always so fucking hot in there that he felt like he had arrived in the fourth circle of hell, as if just being there at all wasn't bad enough already.

He deposited the correct amount of coins, thinking of all the things he could spend those quarters on if he didn't find it important enough to have clean clothes. There was a time in his life that he hadn't cared about such things but since he had cut ties with his old drinking buddies he had cleaned up his life. He even had a real honest-to-God job, one that he was pretty proud of.

He was working as a construction foreman for an up and coming company in Atlanta, in charge of bidding on jobs as they came around and he usually bid just low enough to be competitive. It had given him the edge he needed and gradually over the last year, he had worked his way up the ladder to the position he was in now. His men respected him because he didn't treat them any different than he would anyone else. It also went a long way that he didn't mind getting his hands dirty and worked right alongside them when he wasn't busy on the phone tying up loose ends.

He walked back out of the laundromat, finding it hard to believe that it was cooler outside on a sultry Georgia summer evening than it was inside the place. As he walked to his truck to sit and wait he passed by an older model red Ford truck with the tailgate down and a pretty blonde woman perched on the back of it. She had her head tilted back, hands braced behind her on the bed of the truck, singing along to whatever new popular country western song that was presently blaring out of her windows. Her hair was pulled back from her face but hung in waves down her back. She was petite but had the longest legs he'd ever seen on a girl, lithe and slightly sun-kissed from the long summer days, swinging back and forth over the tailgate in time to the music.

"Hi," she said, her voice all sweetness and summer as she smiled at him.

He wanted to smile back at her but failed miserably at his attempt. He was surprised he could speak back at all; it wasn't like he got a chance to talk to girls all that much, especially ones as pretty as her.

"Hey." Daryl's face fired up crimson as he walked by her. She had gone out of her way to speak to him and here he was, just walking on to his truck. He tried to tell himself he was flushed from the heat of the drier and the humidity of the day but he knew he was lying. It was her smile that had done him in.

She was something to look at that; that was for sure. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone as pretty as her in a long while, maybe even ever. He continued walking to his truck, leaned on the tail of it as he lit up a cigarette. He'd been trying to quit for the last two weeks so he knew this cigarette was going to be the last one of the night. He pulled the first drag off of it, pulling the smoke into the back of his throat, relishing the burn and inhaling deeply, feeling the perpetual knot in his stomach ease just a bit.

He glanced to his left seeing that she was still sitting there in her truck, leaning back and looking up at the sky. She had an almost otherworldly quality about her, like if he were to touch her she might disappear. Damn Dixon, _what the fuck is wrong with you,_ he thought?

She's probably got a boyfriend anyway, he told himself. He looked around for evidence of some nameless faceless jock, but there wasn't anyone but them in the gravel parking lot outside the place. It was not exactly a hot spot for activity, and on a Saturday night, most folks on town could be found over at Greene's. He hadn't lived here all that long and since he was a recent recovering alcoholic he had never set foot in the place, not yet trusting himself around such temptation.

As he looked at the girl, he decided she was temptation of a different kind. He was drawn to her in a way that he couldn't quite explain. In a way that had never really happened to him before. He knew he probably shouldn't and should probably leave well enough alone but it was like a voice in his head was egging him on. _Go on, go talk to her_.

Before he could lose his nerve or she up and drove off, he tamped out his cigarette and winced when he realized that it wasn't quite finished. He uncrossed his ankles and pushed himself off the back of the truck and walked back over to where she was still singing and swinging those long, tanned legs. She had a really beautiful voice and he found that he wished he'd hung back a bit to listen before he approached her but she caught his movement and turned to look at him as he came toward her. A huge grin broke out on her face when their eyes met. Surely that bright as sunshine smile could not be directed at him.

Beth had seen the man walk by earlier and he was about the sexiest man she'd ever seen. He was cute too how he'd blushed when she had said hi to him. She'd just moved back to the area after college. She'd spent two years away at university and her major just had not agreed with her so she'd decided to take a year off and move back home. The only difference was that when she came back, she didn't want to live with her mama and daddy again. She'd been on her own far too long to try to fit back into a household where the rules were so strict they were suffocating. Even though she was not a girl of eighteen anymore, they still considered her a baby and treated her as such.

Sometimes she wished she was older like Maggie who really had her act together at the age of 26. She was a successful business owner. She had bought Otis out a couple years ago. He had owned the local bar in town for year and Maggie had seized the opportunity when he talked about retiring and changed the name of the place. Everyone had complained at first but it turned out to be the best decision because it was the most popular place in town, playing some favorite local bands and Beth herself had a gig coming up on open mic night. She had decided to take this next year to see if she was really serious about having a career in music.

"Hey" Daryl said. Great Dixon, _she's gonna think that's the only line you got._ The worst part was that it just might be. Daryl had his hands shoved down deep into his pockets because otherwise he'd do something like fidget, or worse, chew on the already raw edge of his thumb.

"Hi there, I'm Beth." She smiled warmly at him and nodded her head at the seat next to her.

He was forced to remove his hands from his pockets and he sat down without thinking too much about why she had asked him or if any of this was even real.

She looked at him pointedly, a faintly amused smile on her face. It was teasing, he realized as she spoke. "And you are?"

Despite himself, he felt his lips curve up into a sheepish grin, casting his eyes down a moment and then looked back up at her. "My name's Daryl." He didn't know whether he was supposed to extend his hand or not. It didn't seem like that kind of moment, but he did it anyway, as it was about the only thing he could think of to do. He only hoped his hand wasn't too clammy as he extended it and he couldn't help but notice the way the corners of her eyes crinkled up when she smiled. Her hand was soft and warm in his own and all too soon, she released his much larger, ruddier palm.

"Pleased to meet ya Daryl." She drawled. "So you live around here then?" She nodded her head towards the main part of town.

He nodded his assent, "Yeah, live over on-" but he didn't get to finish his sentence as she sat up straighter and then all the sudden jumped down from the tailgate and turned around to look at him, her eyes wide and bright, looking like a kid on Christmas. "Oh my god, this is my _song_!" She exclaimed and held her hand out to him. "Come dance with me." Her eyes lit up with her request and he hesitated even though his palm was twitching to take hers.

She rolled her eyes at him a little impatiently and she stalked back over to him and took his hand, her grip surprisingly strong and firm, dragging him over to the grassy area just beyond her truck. Once she took hold of his hand, he lost all thought of why he had not wanted to dance with her.

Because well, dancing required a certain amount of touching, and she was downright magical in his eyes. Her skin was soft where his was callused and work-worn. All this was realized in the space of the three seconds as she started swishing her hips back and forth in time to the music.

He mouthed the words when she looked at him questioningly, still singing to the top of her lungs. "I can't dance," but she just shook her head at him and came over and took his hands into hers and placed them on her hips then put her own soft hands on his hips, her delicate fingers gripping him lightly over his denim jeans.

"Now do what I do." She said and his mouth went dry as he was caught in her spell, like a water nymph she seemed to alight and bounce off the grass as she spun and twisted around, taking him with her as she went.

He was caught up in her and she finally looked up at his face as he sort of got the hang of what she was wanting him to do. All too soon the song was over and the next song that came on was a slow one. She didn't make a move to go back where they were sitting so he didn't either.

Beth looked up at him questioningly. She had just dragged him out onto their substitute dance floor for one dance. Dare she ask for another?

"This yer song too?" he quirked his eyebrows at her and smirked a little. Something about her gave him the courage to do something he had never done before. He flirted.

She giggled and looked at him for a minute and looped her arms up around his neck, pressing herself closer to him. "Maybe", she said saucily. She made the transition from schoolgirl to temptress in such a seamless manner it made his head spin with how perfect she was.

They stood there dancing and looking into each other's eyes and he was lost in those deep sapphire pools staring back at him. As the song ended finally, he didn't know what to do only that he didn't want to let her go. He moved his eyes down to her mouth, drawn in by the perfect bow shape, at the same moment she stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, her fingers coming down to grip his shirt between them.

She pulled away slightly and he didn't think, he just _did_. He moved his hands from where they had glued themselves to her hips and looped his thumb into one belt loop on each side of her tiny denim shorts and pulled her closer, while bending his head down to reclaim her lips.

Daryl possessed her lips in such a way that she felt like she'd been meant to kiss this impossibly sweet man. He was so shy it was downright adorable, yet right now his lips told a different tale. He kissed her softly at first as she opened her mouth readily against the slightly probing of his tongue then as he reached his fingers up to cup her face in his palms, his kisses became hungrier, before edging off and finally kissing her achingly slow before breaking it back off, sliding his hands down to her shoulders to ease her back down to the ground.

The blonde looked up at him and she looked just like she'd been thoroughly kissed and he couldn't help the little swell of pride he felt in looking at her slightly swollen lips, knowing he'd done that. She slid her fingers down his chest and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together as they went back over to her truck.

"Daryl, where you been all my life?" She said, her southern accent drawing out the last word as they sat down.

"Pfft" He couldn't form a coherent response any more at that than he could have if she'd just asked him the time. He shrugged his shoulder as he looked down and toed the gravel with his boot before he finally looked back up at her. "Probably a mite bit older 'an you." He shrugged again and smiled at her.

She rolled her eyes and dropped her head to the side. "Oh come on, what are you like 30?" She pulled on his hand teasingly.

He looked into those baby blues of hers and saw that she was sincere. Still he couldn't help the derisive snort that slipped out. "Try addin' 'bout 5 years." Maybe it meant something that she didn't think he was just some old as dirt redneck. He was still a redneck, but maybe he could shed the _old_ part.

She looked at him, clearly outraged by this news. "No way," she shook her head. "I'm gonna need to see some proof." She looked at him prissily like she actually expected him to get his license out.

"How old are you?" He said, thoroughly enjoying this exchange as he couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face.

She smiled at him demurely. "How old you think I am?"

She didn't play around that was for sure. "Well you look all of 17, but ya also look like ya've lived a little, so I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders.

She giggled and relented. He looked so miserable and probably thought she was offended. She had long since gotten used to people thinking she was younger than she really was. She blamed it on good genes. "I'm 20."

He was sitting there and for the life of him he couldn't think of one damn thing to say that wouldn't make him sound like he was tripping over his words.

She came to his rescue. "Daryl, you got a last name?"

"Dixon." He looked at her sideways, trying to figure out why she was so interested in him. Wasn't often that anybody ever paid him that much attention.

"Daryl Dixon." She tested the name on her lips and he found he liked watching her say it. Just in the way she said it, the way her lips formed a half 'o' when she spoke his first name did something to him.

"What's your last name?" He traced his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Greene. Beth Greene." She smiled at him a little shyly.

He looked up at the sudden change in brightness outside to notice that they were shutting off the lights inside the Laundromat, leaving him to wonder just how long they had sat here talking about nothing and everything.

He jumped up, pulling her after him as they both raced to get their clothes from the driers before they were locked out. They were laughing and dropping articles of clothing everywhere. He carried her baskets out for her and ran back in for his own.

When he got back inside he noticed it was 9:00 p.m. He hoped it wasn't too late, but he had a sudden thought and made a quick call and gathered the rest of his stuff, heading back out to where she was sitting back on her tailgate like she was just waiting for him. He jogged past her, smiling all the while, to place his items in his truck and was back to her side in record time. She handed him a bottle of water as he sat down beside her, slightly out of breath.

He looked up in surprise. "Thanks."

"I always keep a couple of extra bottles with me in the summer. I had almost forgot how hot it gets here."

"So you're _from_ here. Where did you go?" He found he suddenly wanted to know absolutely everything about her.

She beamed at him and launched into the story about how she'd left home with dreams of becoming a child psychologist but the deeper she got into her studies, the more she realized that it just wasn't a good fit for her.

The song that had been playing ended, the final strains coming out through the speakers of her truck. As the radio announcer's voice came back on the air, she looked up at Daryl in surprise as she heard the D.J. make an announcement.

 _"This song goes out to Beth. Your mystery man wouldn't say who he was, just said that you were somethin' special'. Well, Beth enjoy this one. We just played it a little while ago but the Dedication Line at 9 is just that,_ dedicated. _Luke Bryan's 'Play it Again'"_. Beth put her fingers up over her mouth, unable to contain the tiny squeal as the familiar strains came out of the speakers.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you did that." She hopped down off the bed of her truck smiling like he'd just handed her the moon. He had the thought that he hadn't quite yet, but maybe he would. It was a crazy thought but it was a crazy night, as well.

Daryl felt his chest swell just a bit and a feeling of pride wash over him at her wide-eyed expression and he felt lucky to have witnessed her child on Christmas expression twice in one night.

He took the hand she offered for the second time that night, and they danced and danced into the night, their laundry forgotten. He twirled her around the grass like he knew what he was doing. If it bothered, her that he was slightly clumsy at first, she didn't let it show. If anything, she seemed happiest when he was a fumbling idiot. She laughed and he laughed. By the time the next fast song came on, he was slightly better at it. Then when the slow ones came on, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her softly.

Daryl didn't want the night to end, so for now he was going to live in the moment. Later on tonight, he'd play it all over again in his mind and hope like hell he'd get to see her again. Because he had to.

 **Okay, that's it. Hope you liked it. I know it was sweet and fluffy and I make no apologies. ;)**


End file.
